How to become a green electrician

If you’re looking for a fresh new start, whether it is switching to a new career or pursuing a new active professional path, then you’ve come to the right place. This article will you give the information for you to go ahead and pursue a career as an electrician.

With the increase in the number of homes built, it is placing greater demand for skilled tradesmen. Currently, the gov.uk published figures to show that there has been a shortage of electrical engineers and that has been due to the aging workforce that is coming into retirement.

In 2019 The Electrotechnical Skills Partnership (TESP) carried out research and found out there is an estimated 12,500 and 15,000 skilled electricians will be needed over the next 5 years to accommodate forecasted UK growth.

So with the increase in demand for tradesmen, pursuing a career as an electrician could provide you with financial stability and a safe career path for the future.

The job of an electrician

Electrician’s main duties are to maintain, test and install appliances, equipment and electrical wiring in different households and businesses. This could be for electrical apparatus such as power, lighting, security and more. The role will include the following:

• Planning the layout of wiring, equipment and fittings
• Installing and connecting initial wires to sockets, power supplies, lighting and other fittings
• Fixing circuit breakers and fuse boxes
• Testing electrical equipment and fixing faults found
• Connecting telecommunication networks to power supplies

Skills needed for an electrician

To work as a successful Electrician, you would need to be efficient in the following:

• Highly developed technical skills and eye for detail
• Manual dexterity and ability to work well under pressure
• Structured approach to working and problem solving
• Administrative skills and ability to analyse technical drawings
• Normal colour vision is crucial as you would need to sort out a range of coloured wires

How to get qualified as an electrician

To qualify as an electrician, you will need an industry-recognised Level 3 qualification:

• Level 3 NVQ Diploma in Electrotechnical Services
• Level 3 NVQ Diploma in Installing Electrotechnical Systems and Equipment
• Level 3 Diploma in Electrical Installations (part of an apprenticeship)

These qualifications can be completed whilst you work but additional training will be needed if you want to delve into such work as solar.

Completing an Electrotechnical Apprenticeship is a popular route to go down as it combines hands-on training with study at a training centre or college which could take two to four years to become fully qualified.

You also have the option to prepare for the industry by taking a part-time or full-time college training course in electrical installation.

If you’re looking for a step in the right direction then the Skills Training Group provides provide a range of electrician training courses to people of all levels from beginner to experienced/advanced. Check out the link below for more information.

https://www.skillstg.co.uk/category/electrician-training-courses/

Career path for an electrician

A newly qualified electrician who chooses to work with an employer can expect to earn an annual salary of between £19,000 and £22,000. However, you can increase your salary as you gain more experience within the industry.

With the shortage of electricians in the UK and the increase in demand for them, a small number of workers have the chance of potentially earning six times the average UK wage resulting in taking home up to £156,000 a year.

You can gain specific qualifications so that you can specialize in the area of profession. For example, you could decide to specialize in a certain area of the trade such as commercial, industrial or domestic work, or just solely maintenance and installation.

You can delve further into other roles which could include an electrical engineer or an electrical supervisor job role. Furthermore, once you are fully qualified and gained further experience, you can have the opportunity to apply to become a Master Electrician which is the highest level of Electrical engineer.